Fabien's research primarily focuses on the questions linked to the modernization of the "territoire" and spatial planning (aménagement du territoire) in contemporary French literature. More specifically, he explores how authors express discomfort towards the governmental-led territorial overhaul initiated by the De Gaulle government and carried on by follwing French administrations. He is also interested in Second Language Acquisition and translation. 

Fabien's research interests include: contemporary French literature, space studies, geocriticism, linguistics.

Fabien's research explores the impact of spatial planning (aménagement du territoire) expressed in the contemporary French literature landscape. His disseration titled "Le mal de territoire en littérature française contemporaine : aliénation et composition avec l’aménagement du territoire" discusses works of authors like Georges Perec, Annie Ernaux, Sylvain Tesson, Philippe Vasset, and the young marseillais author Hadrien Bels. His work analyses the feeling of uneasiness linked to the state-led modernization of the French national territory and expressed by various writers. 

For his upcoming research, Fabien will continue to work on the question of territorial uneasiness (or mal de territoire) and he will aim at expanding the scope of this notion to other geographical areas of the Francophone world. He would also like to work on translation and to carry on work in pedagogy of teaching French as a foreign language.

Fabien has taught French courses at all levels at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. 

At Brown, Fabien teaches FREN300 (Intermediate French I) and FREN500 (Writing and Speaking French I). He also supervises a team of Graduate Teaching Assistants in the department of French and Francophone Studies.